Sword Art Online: Inbetweeners
by Kenji Hiroshi
Summary: Supplementary side-stories to Sword Art Online: Companionship. Fujimaru Nakamura is a young teen - only 13 years old! - and finds himself thrust into the dangerous and deadly world of Sword Art Online. Prior to joining Brightscale he was a solo-player until, at least, a chance encounter with a set of twins led him into Kenji's group. This is Fujimaru's story!
1. Inbetweeners I

December 21st, 2022. 3rd Floor of Aincrad, approx. 07:15.

My name is Fujimaru Nakamura though I suppose the only name anyone will know me by for the foreseeable future is the name I gave my avatar when this game began. In that case my name is «Raixas».

I guess I should tell you a little about myself though.

In the real world I'm a 13 year-old male who lives with his grandparents. Both my parents where deadbeats; the only time I've ever seen either have been in photographs my grandmother showed to me when flicking through old family albums. I inherited my mother's turquoise eyes and my father's snow-white hair. Thankfully I'm more alike to my grandfather in personality; calm, collected, and patient. Or so my grandfather says. And who am I to argue with him when he speaks the truth?

I miss my avatar though. At least his hair had been as black as the ace of spades.

You can imagine my frustration. How many teenagers go to school having already been bullied for years by people who say I've got grey hair? But then I've tended to show a great deal more maturity than some other people I've met that are alike in age to me. These things combined to make me something of a loner; I don't yearn for the company of others, and I don't really like socializing all that much either. When I do, I tend to seek out the elderly members of society and have a good chin-wag with them, for at least they have something worthwhile to contribute.

Maybe that's why I like running so much? I can be alone with my thoughts. When I feel the wind on my face and the sound of my heart thumping in my ears I instantly relax, and the world opens up before me.

Will I be able to have a good run in Aincrad? Will the sensation of the wind be alike to the real-world? I suppose only time will tell.

Having grown up with my grandparents I suppose it's understandable that I'd mature at a quicker pace than my schoolmates, for I left all that petty bickering behind me years ago. Nowadays I turn the other cheek. Mostly. Even when SAO got turned into a death game where literally one mistake may result in your brain being fried by microwaves I managed to stay calm and collected, rather than railing at my surroundings or the surrounding people.

Many of the younger players did not. Most have been traumatized beyond help - unless, of course, one of the players logged into this game and trapped in this nightmare have a psychology degree.

Thankfully I can say I've finally met some people who aren't petty or vindictive. In-game they're called «Elise» and «Sheila» and while I'd normally be a little backward when it came to the opposite sex - even before the onset of puberty - I can honestly say I'm happy just to have made friends my own age who don't give a fig about the colour of my hair. I met them both two days ago in the teleport plaza on the 3rd Floor. You can imagine my surprise: not only where these players girls, but the two of them were crafters!

Elise appeared to be slightly taller than myself, around the same weight, with light brown coloured hair. Her yellow tunic descended to thigh-level, her white trousers where three-quarter lengths, and on her bare-feet where a pair of sandals. The other, Sheila, was a mirror to Elise; the girls were twins, down to the very clothing they wore. The sole difference between the pair was hair and eye colour: Sheila's hair was as black as night and her eyes were a distinctly darker shade of brown.

It would be a long time before I discovered that their real names where Momoko and Akiye, though I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself? That story can wait for another time!

Sheila was a blacksmith and armourer whilst Elise was a cook, mixer, and tailor. I'd purchased my current load-out of gear from them and had my sword - a «Scimitar» - enhanced to +4 (3S1D). Originally my intention had been to dump 4 enhancements to Sharpness but the man with Sheila - who I can only guess is her older brother - backed her suggestion of at least one Durability enhancement. I followed their advice and I have to admit to being quite pleased by the results. That said my weapon was still lagging behind somewhat compared to the rest of my equipment. You see, each of Elise's pieces were unique player-made gear that was beyond what was currently available, and I'd managed to take advantage of their sales. Apparently the girls had been sighted on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Floors offering repairs at a price below that of the NPC vendors, custom weapons and armour slightly more expensive than the store-bought variety, and material trades to help lower-levelled players upgrade their gear.

Their approach to business was impressive; I'd even say it was a stroke of genius!

The gear I'd bought from Elise provided more than just fantastic protection: as unique pieces they were visually distinct, and quite catching, I thought. They consisted of leather armour with minimal metal additives, appearing almost like robes, and featured two white shoulder belts. One was worn over the vest beneath the robes whilst the second was worn outside the robes and this belt allowed me to carry five Throwing Picks easily. My hand-slot consisted of a pair of metal arm guards whilst the waist-slot sported a wide red coloured sash with a white belt holding it all in place. The lower-half of the outfit was doubly layered and about equal in height, which fell about my knees in a swath of cloth. On my feet were stout blackened leather boots.

I was a short ass, so I was required to carry my «Scimitar» sheathed to my back, otherwise the black as night sheath would be trailing along the ground.

My display showed me that I had been staring into the mirror in my inn room for roughly five minutes now. I slicked my white locks back, pondering once again whether to dye the whole thing jet black, and checked how secure my sheath was before exiting the room and heading downstairs. Aincrad was populated by a large multitude of NPC characters - that's non-player characters to you and me - and the reception room of my inn was no exception. There wasn't another player to be seen, so for the second morning in a row I sat down to eat my breakfast alone, the silence disturbed by the comings and goings of system controlled characters.

Or so I thought.

"Good morning!"

I very nearly leapt out of my seat! And skin besides. Sheila had stalked her way up behind me like a stealth professional and performed her morning greeting right in my ear!

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?" I exclaimed, clutching at my chest as I spoke. "A little warning would have been nice."

"There's no fun in that though," and she smiled at me warmly as she took the seat beside me. "Besides, you looked like you were a hundred miles away! Whatcha thinking about?"

"Whether to dye my hair or not."

It was out of my mouth before I'd really thought about it, to be honest. I'd have given my right arm to have been able to take it back and say something cooler instead.

Instead of laughing she just tilted her head, arched an eyebrow as she ran her dark brown eyes over my white locks, and finally shook her head vigorously!

"It suits you."

My mouth could have served as a fly catcher. Never had this happened before. In all my literal life no one other than my grandparents had complimented me on my hair! This was an entirely new development. And to be honest I saw the girl before me with fresh eyes.

Today she had exchanged her tunic for an airy yellow summer dress that reached her knees, whilst a pair of light cloth leggings ascended to her thighs. A pair of comfortable sandals completed the summary theme though the piece that set it all off was the flower in her dark hair. My cheeks were reddening, I knew it, and I quickly turned my head to the side hoping to hide my blush, and drained my morning glass of orange juice so that my arm was hiding my face.

"Thank you. I can honestly say that you're the first person other than my grandparents who've thought my hair suits me."

"It could do with a comb though."

Even me, who happened to be an antisocial 13-year old, knew that there was no maliciousness in her teasing. What surprised me more than anything was my enjoyment of it all.

"I've tried!" I exclaimed. There was no way I was hiding my blushes this time, so I rolled with it and looked her dead in the eye. "It never wants to do what I tell it!"

"Leave that to me!"

In no time flat she had managed to style my slicked back bed head into a multitude of short spikes at the back and sides, whilst my fringe was combed to the side and away from my forehead. Apparently this brought attention to my turquoise eyes. As a newly minted teenager I knew absolutely nothing about my hair except what shampoo did and did not agree with it.

And to be perfectly honest I didn't even know if that applied to the virtual world that was Sword Art Online. In any other world if you admitted that you hadn't showered in weeks they'd look at you a little strangely and be well within their rights to.

"Did you just give me a Kishi do-over?" I asked when I saw my reflection.

"Uh-huh! It looks a lot better, don't you think?"

"... Actually, yeah. But I'll never manage to do this myself."

"Neither does Kishi. Elise usually does his but I wouldn't mind doing your hair for you."

"Thanks! That'd be awesome!"

Wait a minute here, what did she just say? And what did I just say!? My brain and mouth weren't in sync apparently and the sounds that spilled out of my mouth were more alike to gibberish than anything remotely resembling coherence.

"Thalamidstading,"

See what I mean? That was supposed to be "That was all a misunderstanding", but I gave up trying to reiterate that fact.

In this case the gibberish was likely better and damage control was unneeded.

To outside viewers we may very well appear as a young couple meeting up at their local cafe. Which, may I point out, was exactly what I was worried about. What would happen to me if her big brother walked in that door right now? I'd probably get an earful and a boot in the backside. After all, the only thing betraying the fact we weren't in a cafe in the real world was the blacksmith's hammer dangling from her waist! Assuming you also looked past the fact I was currently cosplaying as Edward Kenway, or near enough that it made little difference, from the Assassin's Creed series and this entire scene was perfectly plausible.

"Did you have any plans for today?" Sheila asked, blind siding me completely.

"Nothing I couldn't push back 'till later," though the moment the words left my lips a sudden feeling of dread crept up my spine. "Why?"

Would this be a bad time to mention I was literally sweating into my boots right now?

"I've found a repeatable quest. The big ore rewards only drop when there is a smith in the party, but it's combat focused." Her tone was cheerful, yet concise, and I saw the mischievous glint in those dark brown eyes immediately. "And I need help to complete it."

There was more to this than she was letting on.

"Okay? But aren't you in a guild?"

"Yeah, but they're all adults. I wanted to hang around with someone my own age who isn't my sister, for a change. So I thought of you! Please?"

In the real world that would have shattered my usual calm and sent me fleeing from the cafe in terror. Most girls found me to be brooding and boring, with more interest in sports than anything else, and they weren't wrong either. The truth was that I had always enjoyed my own company above the company of others. But there was something about cosplaying as a pirate and assassin that must have emboldened me, I suppose. For instead of fleeing I matched her mischievous grin with one of my own, my white teeth flashing, and my turquoise eyes shining.

"... Where to?"

"You'll see!"

Yup, this was a bad idea. And of course time proved me right.

The 2nd Floor of Aincrad was known affectionately - and I use the term very loosely - as the cow floor. Some monsters, specifically the Trembling Ox, where quite large; and when I say large, I mean as big as some Field Bosses. I'm short - the last time I measured myself I was 4 foot 4 and a half inches tall, and I doubt I had grown much, if any, since then. Compare me to a Trembling Ox and you have your classic David vs. Goliath moment. Oh, and did I mention that they have the lovely habit of chasing down just about anyone who entered their range and tripped their aggro? Without changing targets at all?

I had three chasing me! My only saving grace was my «Sprint» Skill.

"What's the point of this quest!?"

I screamed this whilst running for my literal life from a muscle-bound ox about two-meters tall! It was no exaggeration at all to say that I had several tonnes of angry cow meat trying to run clean over the top of me!

"See those big rocks sticking out of the ground?" Sheila shouted back. "Make the ox charge them!"

"Easier said than done!"

I occasionally caught a glimpse of what Sheila was doing. When an Ox barrelled its way through a rock formation Sheila would sieve through the debris, press a few buttons on her inventory screen, and then repeat the entire process.

"What are you-"

Ah, so that was her game. The ore was inside the rocks. I suppose using the oxen in this way made sense. You'd need a decent mining proficiency to complete the quest otherwise.

I don't know why I suddenly wanted to do more than what was necessary but I deliberately tripped the aggro of two more ox by approaching their rump and giving them a friendly tap on the tail with my «Scimitar». Their mows sounded incredibly angry and soon the very ground was shaking! Five ox thundered through the savanna chasing after little old me and I led them each in turn to a rock formation.

This went on for a good ten minutes before she told me she'd met her quota.

"Sweet!"

If it hadn't been mentioned already then the 2nd Floor was classified as a rocky savanna. The landscape was littered with boulders and scattered foliage, widely spaced trees, and large looming mountains that overlooked the plains. In normal circumstances it would be quite impossible to escape from a Trembling Ox once it caught sight of you. Thankfully I had a way out. My build wasn't devoted to Strength but I had enough of it, bolstered by the gear I was wearing, for example, to lift and carry a player of similar height and build to myself. This allowed me to give Sheila a piggyback ride and still activate the burst of speed from my «Sprint» Skill.

The wind was exquisite! The sun was kissing the stones, the light breeze upon my face was refreshing, and my heart was thumping in my chest! And to top it all? I had a girl on my back squealing in delight as her black hair billowed in the breeze.

For once Sword Art Online didn't seem all that bad of a place to be.

Soon the gates of Urbus came into view. The five Trembling Ox still chasing me where promptly intercepted by the powerful town guardians and since a small amount of damage had been caused courtesy of my tail strikes, I got loot drops and experience for their trouble.

"I've never seen anyone outrun an ox before!" Sheila exclaimed, for some reason breathless. Wasn't it me who'd done all the running? "That was so much fun!"

"..."

"Are you upset?"

"... Adrenaline charged, sure. Upset? Surprisingly not."

How could I explain that the run I'd just experienced was the best I'd ever had? The wind was like that of the real world and there was no mistaking the 'thump' I heard in my ears. I was in literal virtual heaven!

The time was 14:27.

This meant that I'd spent roughly seven hours with her already! Where in blazes had the time gone!? Not that I was complaining, of course. I'd probably enjoyed the last seven hours more than the entire sum of time I'd spent trapped in this game already.

"Thanks for tod-"

A shadow passed by our collective vision and I saw that Sheila's mouth closed abruptly and her entire body had gone rigid! It was as if she had been struck by paralysis. But given we were in the safe zone that just wasn't possible. I didn't know why she suddenly cut her own sentence short but in a flash she was behind me. Her hands found their way to my shoulder blades and I quickly discovered that she was trembling.

"Sheila…?" I asked, somewhat hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

"Well, well, well! It's the little lady."

The person who spoke these words was, of course, another player. No NPC I had ever encountered thus far had spoken with such a snarl. I also doubted any NPC would address a player in such a way unless it was a specifically scripted event. Especially in a safe zone like a town. He was probably in his late teens or early twenties. His hair consisted of messy black strands not dissimilar to the head of a mop and his body was long and thin, so in that regard he also looked like a mop. He wore a simple cuirass with padded leather bottoms, black boots, leather gloves with simple protective studs, and an «Anneal Blade» sheathed at his waist.

Again, in the real world, this guy would likely have sent me running for the hills. But this wasn't the real world. This was Sword Art Online and thankfully the air of a bully didn't change between the real world and the virtual one. And given Sheila's reaction she obviously knew this asshole.

I narrowed my eyes, clenched my fists, and quickly devised my strategy. Again, completely out of the ordinary for Fujimaru Nakamura, but apparently not for Raixas.

"Whew, is that smell you!?" I even made a wafting motion with my left hand as if I were attempting to ward off a terrible smell. "Or do you just enjoy cosplaying as a mop?"

Bullies tended to be cut from the same cloth. They could dish out physical abuse or cut with cruel jibes but didn't like to be on the receiving end of any themselves. In many ways they were like cowards. Or balloons. You gave them a good pop, either with a pin or closed fist, and they had a tendency to disappear and leave you alone.

This bully was no different.

"What did you just call me!?"

I didn't even try to stop him grabbing my collar. Why would I? In Sword Art Online this was deemed a violation of the anti-criminal code. I don't know if the system sensed his intent or not but the moment his hand approached me a purple barrier slammed into place! The man cursed audibly but it was enough for me to bring up my menu and flick to the "Dual" option. Sword Art Online was now a death game. Should I dual this person without it being Half Loss Mode or First Contact Mode victory for me would mean his death, and vice versa. Did I hate bullies that much? There was also no guarantee that one of the aforementioned modes would convince him to leave us alone.

With that in mind my finger inched closer to the first mode - Total Loss Mode.

Me or him? In sixty seconds I'd find-

SMACK!

The decision was taken out of my hands.

"Shiro!" Sheila exclaimed.

The player named Shiro was a new one on me. He was tall - taller than I remember Sheila's brother Kishi being - and he looked thoroughly annoyed. Like, you drowned my puppy and now I'm going to kick the bejesus out of you, kind of annoyed. At that moment his anger filled brown eyes flashed more brightly than his red hair! Yeah, this was probably one guy you wouldn't want to mess with in the real world, never mind the world of Sword Art Online, where he had a sword sheathed at his waist and a shield strapped to his back.

There was also the minor fact he was built like an Olympian!

Even with the anti-criminal code in full effect the purple barrier did not, in fact, stop the impact of the blow. Given that our assailant had been smacked to the floor you could take that as a good indication of just how hard this Shiro person had tried to punch him.

"Tut, tut, tut." He even made the 'tut' sound intimidating. "What am I going to do here? I believe Kishi already warned you, Loki, but it doesn't appear to have sunk in. Maybe another trouncing in a dual is just what the doctor ordered?"

"..."

I kept my silence. Shiro's words were chillingly similar to what I had planned to do myself before he intervened. Again I found myself asking questions no 13-year old should even need to contemplate. Loki, however, had no plans to stick around now that Shiro had arrived on the scene. He took to his shoes and disappeared into the wild savanna Sheila and I had just minutes ago returned from.

"Cockroach," Shiro spat.

He then turned his considerably softer expression towards Sheila, knelt down, so he was at roughly eye level with her, and smiled.

"You okay, kiddo?"

Her head bobbed like one of those bobble head toys and she gave him a quick hug.

"What about you, kid?" And this time his significantly kinder gaze fell on me.

"Fine, sir. Thank you."

"Sir? No, no, no. There'll be none of that." As he spoke he assumed his full height again and stuck out his hand towards me. I shook it. "As you've probably guessed I'm called Shiro. I'm one of Sheila's guild mates. So thanks for helping her out."

"Raixas. And it was my pleasure,"

He turned away from me with a smile and addressed Sheila.

"Sorry to come looking for you but I did try messaging you three times. Do you realize the time?"

Her eyes widened momentarily before she took off like the wind! She managed about four steps however before skidding to a halt and running back. She very nearly knocked me to the floor with the hug she gave me before once again taking off at speed. Sheila looked back once, mouthed the words "thank you" in my direction, and then sped off.

"What was that all about!?" I asked of the still present Shiro.

Shiro's booming laughter filled the square.

"You have no idea what you just did, have you?" The big man asked me. "That player, Loki, tried to rob Sheila and her sister a little more than a fortnight ago. Kishi did what you were about to do - only he did it in Half Loss Mode - and cut Loki's arm off in the duel. She won't soon forget what you did for her today."

I didn't have the words. I had a lot of anger suddenly boiling up within me, but no words to express how I felt.

"As for why I'm here?" And the big man started chuckling. "She was supposed to go with Ryne to the 3rd Floor an hour ago. And considering how much value Ryne puts on her time… yeah, it sucks to be Sheila right about now."

He clapped me on the shoulder gently before waving his farewell. Before vanishing however a Friend Request blinked on my display. In was from Shiro, whose full avatar name I discovered was «Shirozuki», and I promptly accepted it. It was only the third name on my list after Sheila and Elise.

Maybe it was time to rectify that?

Shiro soon disappeared from my view completely and shortly after he did I also saw Sheila's name vanish from my visual display. She had disbanded our party and once again I found myself alone. My original intent today had been to farm the materials needed to buff my «Scimitar» all the way to +8 and I suppose I still had time to make a start on that, but I turned my gaze elsewhere instead. Namely, the direction our mop haired assailant had run off in.

What was it Shiro had called him? Loki? I fingered one of the «Throwing Picks» sheathed across my chest and burned the man's face into my memory.

I had a feeling I'd see him again.

Before going about my own business I shot Sheila off a friend message: «I really had fun today. Thanks for the run.»


	2. Inbetweeners II

November 18th 2022, 09:42, 1st Floor. Twelve days into the official service of Sword Art Online.

My name is Yoshiro Kazuki though the only way you'd know that is if you were like my companion here, Sojiro Kori, and knew me in real-life. In-game my name is «Shirozuki» though everyone, myself included, calls me «Shiro». My friend, whose been my partner-in-crime since before I can honestly remember, goes by the name «Jiro».

On the outside I'm a 29-year-old carpenter who specializes in garden furniture, specifically custom-made patios. I've been keeping my eyes open for a chance to translate my skills in the real world to this virtual one now that I've been trapped here, but sadly the opportunity hasn't presented itself yet. I know a «Carpentry» Skill exists courtesy of an information broker who went by the name «Argo» who quoted me a price of 50 cor for the information, which I didn't mind paying.

Sadly surviving here at the moment involves swords, shields and armour, so that has been my priority. Still, I miss the feel of a measuring tape in my hand, and the tools of my trade dangling from my work belt.

Maybe when I hit level 30 or so and I have a Skill slot to burn I'll be able to take on the «Carpentry» Skill? Open a little shop somewhere selling furniture?

Yeah, that'd be pretty sweet. One can always dream. Sadly, though, it would be completely useless too. We've only been trapped in this game under a fortnight and already non-combat players are being discriminated against. Just last week I saw some poor white-haired kid - he wasn't any more than 12 or 13 - being flamed by a group of older players because he told them he had the «Lumber» Skill slotted. Now, when I said older, what I meant was that these guys were like myself; in their mid-to-late twenties, and there were three of them all picking on one kid.

Can you blame me for clenching my fists?

"What kind of' worthless skill is that!?" One of the three bullies said.

"The kid's scared of monsters, so he'll only fight trees!" Another added.

The third laughed like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard or seen in his entire life.

It wasn't hard to gauge their respective intelligence levels based on their pitiful jibes. I honestly think my two daughters could craft better insults, and they were only 10 and 8 respectively. The white haired kid tried to look like their words hadn't bothered him but before I could step across to intervene - 'cause I really wanted to give them a piece of my mind - he'd taken off at a run and disappeared around the corner.

"Hardly very neighbourly behaviour." I said, with my usual degree of diplomacy. "And here I thought we were all stuck here together."

They didn't even deign to provide me with an answer. They took one long look at me, looking like they'd just come up against an immovable object with angry eyes, and decided it was probably best not to mess with me, and quickly went about their business. I should probably explain that my physical job is backed up by a healthy life-style. I work out regularly and eat the right kind of food, stand at 6ft 2in (ca. 188 cm), and have a solid physique. So their leaving didn't really surprise me. It was a common reaction anytime I weighed in on an argument.

"Assholes," I swore.

Not to speak ill of the dead or anything but sadly I learned later that they were no longer with us - their HP had dropped to zero and their names were now etched onto the Monument of Life. Apparently they had died trying to cross a fast-flowing river when they were attacked by a group of wolves. They each suffered the tumble status when they were attacked whilst waist-deep in water, and drowned. Swimming in SAO was different from most of the other activities in the game that one could do in the real world. Lung capacity, as far as holding your breath was concerned, was something dictated by your actual physical body back in the real world; the «Swimming» Skill did nothing for lung capacity. It wasn't like running speed, which could be enhanced by Agility boosts or the «Sprint» Skill, and having a large lung capacity could rightly be classified as an «Outside System Skill».

It was ironic in a really twisted way. If they had taken the kid with them he could have used his «Lumber» Skill to create a decent footing for them by cutting down a few trees and tying them together, and they might not have died. There was a lot to be said about stable footing. I had my problems with Sword Art Online - there wasn't a player trapped here who didn't. But it was fundamentally fair, I had to admit. Such elementary thinking could save your life and if there was any lesson to take out of all this, it was that being pig-headed could likewise cost you your life.

Superfluous skills aren't useless. In the event I ever see that kid again I'll be sure to tell him that.

Though, when I say that now, I had no way of knowing how things would be later. Not only were non-combative players helpful, they were essential to our success. It turned out there was indeed room for living and surviving in Sword Art Online.

But this was early days yet. There was much of SAO yet to play out and I should be getting back to it.

I've been partying together with Jiro since the day we got trapped in this game. We had been friends since our school-days though we noticed that the time we got to spend together was gradually getting shorter the busier we both got with our respective careers. We both worked from early morning well into the late evening; myself as a carpenter, and Jiro as a programmer for a large tech company. There was also the fact I had a wife and young children to consider. So, yeah. Not much free time. It was Jiro who managed to secure two copies of Sword Art Online, and we agreed to meet in-game on launch day, seeing it as an easy way to meet and talk, even if it was only for an hour or two.

That may have been the worst mistake of my life.

What was supposed to be an hour or two of leisure time with my best friend odd evenings before bed had turned into a prison cell. The scenery was breathtaking, sure, and at times the varied company you inevitably met was welcome, but a gilded cage is still a cage regardless of how comfortable it is. You know what? If I was going to say anything to Kayaba Akihiko, it would be that.

But, I could think like that for forever and a day and it still wouldn't change my situation. It was best to get on with things and with that in mind, I had quests to complete and monsters to kill.

"Good morning," Jiro greeted with a lazy wave of his left-hand.

"G'morning," I answered.

Jiro had already ordered breakfast and poured a cup of tea for me, which he handed to me as I approached. He was dressed in a full set of light armour that 'clanked' slightly at the movement of his limbs. The cuirass, arms, and legs from the knees down were all covered in slate grey armour with a metallic sheen, whilst his boots had a pointed metallic tip. Overall it was similar to my own, only my gear was classified as «Medium Metal Armour» by the system, whilst Jiro's was classified as «Light Metal Armour». The difference ultimately came down to weight and protectiveness.

Attached to his back was a long «Two-handed Assault Spear», roughly 12 foot in length, with a slim handle and conical tipped upper-portion. The spear section was approximately 4 foot, the guard that overhung the top section of the handle to guard the hands, was roughly two foot, with the remaining length consisting of the handle. All things considered, he looked like a lancer who had lost his horse.

I wasn't surprised in the least when I saw he had styled his blonde hair into a single long bit of fringe that dangled over his left eye.

"Sleep well?"

"Not really."

The truth was that I hadn't really slept well since we got trapped in this game.

I missed my wife and daughters. I used to complain when my girls would sneak into our bedroom in the early hours of a Saturday morning and wake me up with a slap to the face from a pillow! We'd sit up in the morning and watch cartoons; I always made a big show that it was a chore and that I hated doing it, but I knew the names of the characters and history of the shows just as well as my daughters did. I missed the late evenings when the girls were in their bed sleeping and it was just me and my wife. We'd either sit and talk for hours or watch the stars in silence on a clear night.

The thought cheered me, and I managed a smile, but it soon slipped right off my face.

This was due to my understandable worry. I sat up at night and thought what they'd be doing without me around. How would my wife pay the bills? Our mortgage wasn't going away, and I was pretty sure our insurance didn't cover me getting stuck in a video game. Were the kids behaving themselves? Were they doing their homework? And what about Christmas? There was so much going on behind the scenes that the kids never seen, which my wife and I had always tackled as a team.

I could only hope they were coping somehow.

If I did survive this game through to the end I could very well find everything I had worked for in my life gone.

"... I'm sorry."

Jiro looked away and cast his eyes to the floor. He knew me well enough by now that he was pretty much able to read me like an open book. Jiro didn't have a family like I did; a few cousins scattered around the country, sure, though he only really kept in contact with one of them, a guy called Kusaka. You see, his parents had died a few years ago, and he had no wife or kids back home. Or siblings even. I knew why he was apologizing. He saw my being trapped in Sword Art Online as being his fault. He saw it as his fault that I wasn't with my girls. In a way it was: the entire idea had been Jiro's, but I couldn't say that aloud. Above everything, he was my best friend and I wasn't going to let this game tear that apart.

"I'm not going to let you apologize for something that isn't your fault." I answered, and I put as sincere a smile on my face as I could muster under the circumstances. "Kayaba did this, not you."

I hadn't seen Jiro cry since his parents passed away, but he was doing so now. I did what any friend would do and squeezed his shoulder.

"I think we can skip out on our questing for today." I said.

"But-"

"We're hitting the pub." I interrupted, firmly. "I don't care whether it can get us drunk or not, but we're going to give it a helluva good try."

This was probably the only unfair thing about Sword Art Online. The booze available - whether it was beer, wine, or spirit - was quite incapable of getting you drunk. It might look like the real thing and taste like the real thing, but you could drink an entire keg and you wouldn't even get a slight buzz. Usually when something looked like a duck and quacks like a duck, that means you've got yourself a duck. The beer might look like beer and taste like beer, but it might as well have been flavoured water coloured to mimic beer. Maybe, in the not too far-flung future, an enterprising player with the «Mixing» Skill could brew some proper alcohol?

"... Sounds like a plan. And thanks, for everything."

"Anytime,"

And we talked of old times. The conversation eventually turned to the subject of alcohol and various other players who were drinking in the bar with us chimed in on the subject. We all had a good laugh and I noticed my spirits rising. What I didn't notice was the attractive blonde sitting by herself on the far end of the bar listening to our rarefied conversation about brewing our own beer.

"... Now there's a profitable venture."

I wouldn't find out who exactly this woman was, or how much of an impact she would have on my life here in Sword Art Online, for at least another month. In seconds however the spot she had been seated in was vacated. She had probably disappeared whilst muttering about finding someone with the «Mixing» Skill and a sense for brewing alcohol.


	3. Inbetweeners III

December 27th 2022, 4th Floor of Aincrad, approx. 11:14.

Fujimaru here, and I was staring at perhaps the most idyllic sight I had laid eyes on since being trapped in Sword Art Online.

The 4th Floor of Aincrad was probably the most spectacular and breathtaking floor seen by the players of Sword Art Online since the death game had begun, and I was certainly enjoying its aesthetic. Rovia, which was the main town of the 4th Floor, was originally a sand-swept and gravelly wasteland. The landscape was reddish-brown, set inside intersecting canyons joined by a complicated web of narrow pathways, that had proved to be quite impossible to scale. Or so I've been told. I wasn't in the beta to say either way. Rovia, and the entire floor, had been a boring and uninspired dusty old wasteland.

Thankfully, and many players would likely agree with me, but the official release was very different. Rovia itself had been built atop a square-shaped lake! The stone-paved streets of the beta had been replaced by gorgeous waterways and movement from one place to another was regulated by gondolas, which were styled on the Venetian rowing boat and overall very canoe-like in appearance.

I owned one myself.

It might have made travel a tad more difficult but Sword Art Online was ultimately fair.

All the gondolas, except for those private examples owned and operated by the player-base, were controlled by the «Water Carriers Guild» and this organization played into the main quest-line of the floor, which had been dubbed the «Shipwright of Yore». I had completed some of it, otherwise I wouldn't have had a gondola of my own, and really should be getting on with it, but I had other plans for today.

Plans that had been carefully prepared since around 05:30 this morning. But I could get to that later. Firstly I need to cast some light on my adventures up until now.

In comparison to the floors preceding it the 2nd Floor had been littered with boulders and scattered foliage, widely spaced trees, and large looming mountains overlooking its wide-open plains. It was akin to a savanna. After parting company with Sheila and Shiro I had devoted myself to grinding, as it had still been my intention to upgrade my «Scimitar» farther. Suffice to say I had been successful in that regard and got quite lucky too and still had some materials left over. My «Scimitar» had been upgraded to +6. I had followed the advice imparted to me by Sheila and her older brother Kishi and sunk a further point into durability, which had already extended its use on this floor. The other had gone to Sharpness, so my «Scimitar» was now +4 to Sharpness and +2 to Durability or, as the system designated it, 4S2D.

The 3rd Floor, meanwhile, had been a mist-wrapped forest of epic proportions that made for a navigational nightmare, because it couldn't be navigated through with a player's map. It was aptly called «The Forest of Wavering Mists». The twisting pathways, monsters disguised as trees, and inclusion of the Elf race as NPC's offering their varied services as part of the «Elf War» campaign quest added to the lore and mysticism of Aincrad itself. My adventures on the 3rd Floor had been carried out in solitary style on the side of the Dark Elves, and I managed to save the Dark Elven NPC who had clashed with a «Forest Elven Hallowed Knight» in the forest. I didn't know that this outcome was very rare - it was usually the case that the NPC whom you helped in the quest died killing their opposition, and the quest carried on from there. With that said, I wasn't aware of any other outcome, and had continued on in that regard. In my case I had a high-powered female scout joining my party whenever I did the Elf War. She mothered me more than was really necessary, despite me being a human, and she an Elf, but in battle she was an absolute beast.

Her name was «Imra».

But then our journey had come to a conclusion on the 3rd Floor and I came here to the 4th Floor.

All the excitement I felt under the boughs of the trees on the 3rd Floor or the exhilaration of running on the 2nd Floor, however, paled when faced with the beauty of Rovia. Nothing I had experienced - in-game or in real life - prepared me for what I felt when I first stepped foot on the 4th Floor. The place was absolutely breathtaking!

I had been here since December 22nd.

My headquarters were a small NPC home whose second floor was available to rent at only 100 cor per night, with a small dock nearby capable of accommodating a small gondola. Its specific location was actually south-west Rovia and it was quite close to the exit that would lead one to «Caldera Lake». Argo, who was Aincrad's premier information broker and the fourth name on my friends list, had provided me with the location for a small fee, which was subsequently added to my tab. It would be a little after that, on the morning of December 23rd, that I told her about an «Extra Skill» I had discovered known in-game as «Dancing» available here on the 4th Floor off towards the town farthest west. That was when she told me my tab was now in credit and would be until she told me otherwise.

Only thing I disliked about Argo? She insisted on calling me by some ridiculous nickname! She called me «Cliff» because apparently I reminded her of a picture she saw of the White Cliffs of Dover. Yeah, another person chiding me about my hair. Just what I needed.

Back to the quest though. That particular area, you see, hadn't been extensively mapped by the front-runners. It seemed that their modus operandi was to take on the quests and dungeons only relevant to clearing the floor. Argo herself had likely been running the quests that would hopefully give some information about the Floor Boss. The quest was hidden, as most Extra Skill quests were, and required you to explore a small forested area south of the easternmost settlement. Near the forest was a standing lake in the centre of which was a wooden pier, where several fishermen NPC's plied their trades. I had «Fishing» slotted myself and had spent a relaxing afternoon whiling the hours away. Randomly, and at times I had yet to properly identify, a girl waded out onto the lake's edge and started to dance, and it was my luck that the day I arrived was the day she chose to appear. Though I suspected that only someone like me, who had «Fishing» slotted, could actually get the girl to appear. The NPC chatter indicated that she was shy; the fishers were her only friends, and the only people she felt comfortable enough around to dance in front of. Shortly after she appeared she was attacked randomly by monsters and if you managed to protect her throughout the duration of the dance, all the while receiving the buffs provided by her technique, then you acquired the «Dancing» Skill. It was one of the Skills I had unlocked myself but hadn't yet slotted.

It was a very cliched quest but weren't they all? Sword Art Online was a mishmash of mythologies and legends all crammed together, after all, and everyone liked the cliches. They resonated with people.

Maybe once I hit level 20 I'd become a dancer myself?

That said, I could ruminate on my build another time. I did have a plan for today but had to admit to being somewhat hesitant about it. I brought up my menu and flicked through to the messenger, went into the friends tab, and hovered over a name: «Sheila». Then I hesitated, like a beer caught in the headlights. What if she said no? I'd look like a right lemon then. No, no. This was the time to be Raixas, not Fujimaru. I needed to be confident, assertive, and direct. Like I was when I was literally seconds away from challenging Loki to a Total Loss duel that would have seen one of us dead.

I touched the name and a text window opened.

«Good morning! I was wondering if you were free today? I'm on the 4th Floor, by the teleport plaza if you are. Got something I'd like to show you.»

Only fifteen or so minutes had passed since I fired off my message when I saw Sheila walking up the road and waving towards me. I also noticed a tall man with a long red-coloured braid dangling lazily over his right shoulder walking with her. Wrapped around his head was a black and gold bandanna with a tribal design, whilst his gear was skeletal but lightweight. Oddest «Heavy Metal Armour» set I'd ever seen to be honest but I knew its effectiveness. Sheila had forged it. On his hip was an «Anneal Blade» and on his back was a circular shield with a large bull-head embossed on its surface.

"Morning Sheila!" I greeted with a wave. "Morning, Shiro."

"Good morning!" Sheila answered, with her usual energy.

Today she wore an eye-catching scarlet T-shirt with a padded leather portion around her chest, a pair of three-quarter length black trousers, and stout leather boots with dirty soles and toes. Her blacksmith hammer, as usual, was attached to a dainty scale-linked belt at her waist, which was new. The only change in my own gear since meeting with her last was a red shoulder cloak tied around the shoulder and bicep of my left-arm, and the fact my «Scimitar» had been upgraded to +6 (4S2D).

"You- It's- You look good," I stammered, awkwardly.

She blushed a shade brighter than Shiro's hair.

"Thanks. Elise made me these."

Shiro had been hanging back a bit but soon made his presence known.

"I should have guessed this was the reason she was suddenly so damned excited. You should have seen her! Grabbed me by the arm, told me she needed an escort back to town, and practically hauled me back here."

He didn't look at all put out however.

"I did not!" Sheila exclaimed, puffing out her cheeks. She then turned to me: "He's lying!"

I raised my hands, hoping that this conveyed innocence, or rather my belief in her stance, and tried my very best to look supportive. That seemed like the most appropriate thing to do, but considering I didn't have the first notion what I was expected to do in this situation, I thought my reaction was rather good. Remember I was only 13 and something of a social recluse? I barely talked to anyone! So, yeah. No idea what I was expected to do here.

Not that Shiro chimed in to help me. By the time Sheila spun around to admonish him further he was gone. I'd seen him wink at me before discreetly making his exit and could only manage a smile.

"So where are we going?" She asked me, Shiro forgotten about.

"I wanted you to be the first to see it!"

I took her hand in mine and started leading her off towards the west-side of Rovia. Looking back I was very direct all of a sudden, and whenever I remembered the scene I blushed as bright as a tomato! Never would I have attempted anything like this in the real world, but as I had said before Sword Art Online had an emboldening effect on my personality. She didn't seem to mind, thankfully, because she was grinning wide and giggling.

We needed to take two gondolas before I showed her a stairwell that could be used to reach the opposite side without the need for a boat. I'd already proven I could carry her with my stats and I once again offered her a piggyback ride. Heedless of the danger I burst into a sprint, took the steps two at a time, and finally launched myself off them! We sailed through the air for a few seconds before landing lightly on the opposing side, with me in a crouch. From there I led her to my gondola. It was the smallest model available, held two travellers, and if the driver was counted, which I supposed you kind of needed to do, then it boasted a total passenger quota of 3. On the side in flowing black lettering was the name «Highwind». The hull was a mixture of various shades of blue, the iron prow-head was as black as night, and the seats inside had fluffy red cushions usually used in player homes for added comfort.

And nestled beneath the seats was a picnic basket.

"This is awesome!"

"Wanna take her out for a spin?" I asked.

"YES!"

There was something inherently powerful about the freedom a vehicle offered. I remember the first time my grandfather allowed me to sit behind the wheel of his car, for it had only been three months ago. It was late at night, and we were some of the last shoppers going to their cars in the car park. The place was practically deserted, and he let me take the car around the parking lot a few times. If I had ever felt freedom running then what I felt driving was indescribable! I took the oar in-hand, cementing myself as the gondolier, and led us out of Rovia. «Caldera Lake» was the central lake on the 4th Floor of Aincrad and a good bit away from the main town of Rovia. It had originally served as the domain of the Field Boss but the front-runners had dispatched it on the 24th. In fact, if I remember the message Argo sent me, then the front-runners were tackling the Floor Boss today. By this evening I could be stepping foot on the 5th Floor for the first time.

We set out for «Caldera Lake» with me steering and Sheila dipping her fingers into the water.

Up until now we had sailed the waterways in silence enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and gorgeous scenery. This was Sword Art Online however and you could rarely go long without a monster appearing to threaten you, but whenever that happened I dispatched them ruthlessly. Given that I was currently level 17 I was more than capable on that front, but I was careful regardless. Sheila wasn't a combatant. It also helped that I had found a «Cloak of Hiding» on the 3rd Floor that obscured the wearer. I had given this to Sheila to wear the moment we set out and thus, whenever we were targeted, the sole target of attack would be me. The cloak blended in against the background and effectively functioned as a high-leveled «Hiding» Skill.

"Can I ask you something?" Sheila suddenly asked me.

"Sure,"

"What's your name? And not your online one. Your real one."

It was generally accepted amongst the player base that the discussion of the real world was somehow a taboo subject. Some people got incredibly angry or uncomfortable whenever the subject was raised, but honestly I never really seen the point of that, and whenever someone had asked me anything about myself and I didn't consider it a weird question, I answered them. Most had been about my hair so far with "is it natural" being firmly at the top of the list. Thusly when Sheila asked me my name I didn't hesitate to tell her.

"Fujimaru Nakamura. And yours?"

It was only fair.

"Akiye Tanaka,"

"It's nice to meet you officially!"

We looked at each other for a moment and when I smiled that was somehow the spark that lit the powder keg. We couldn't contain our laughter any more and I honestly couldn't tell you why we found the whole situation funny to begin with! All I know is that we were laughing.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"My reasons are three-fold. I did want to show you the «Highwind» and give her its maiden voyage outside town. That said, there's this little speck of land on the east side of «Caldera Lake» with a single tree and a small beach."

I couldn't read her expression at all.

"A-anyway, this piece of land has a few mining nodes, and the tree can be harvested; both can be got only once a day!" I couldn't tell you why I was stammering either. "I f-figured you'd find the materials useful."

Her expression lightened. "And what was the third reason?"

"... Picnic." I whispered, blushing fiercely.

She tilted her head, clearly not hearing what I had said, and my cheeks reddened even further.

"... I prepared a picnic basket…"

What I didn't tell her was that her sister, Elise, was in on this particular jaunt from its inception. Picnic baskets like the one I had at the moment couldn't be bought in the shops on any Floor we had unlocked. The first thing I had done this morning was message Elise and ask her for a favour. After I explained my intent she was only too happy to help, provided I give her a ride on my gondola soon. You see, my basket wasn't exactly what you'd call a normal basket. It wasn't made from wicker but rather fabric, and required the «Sewing» Skill to create. Food items generally degraded quickly but the picnic basket created by Elise for me was very similar to a Vendor's Carpet, in that it could store and protect other items. When a food item was placed inside it's durability was enhanced significantly, and all the food items inside had been made for me by Elise.

She smiled, turned away, and dipped her fingers into the water again. Only this time was different.

The silence was beginning to stretch and I didn't know what to do or say to change the atmosphere. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea after all? I hadn't really been paying attention, but I was paying heed for monsters, and during my routine scan I saw that her message tab was open and that her menu was set to visible. Did she even realize? I saw the name of the person she was messaging - «Shirozuki» - but not the contents of the message.

My own display blinked with a notification at roughly the same time and I discreetly opened the delivered message, which had come from Shiro as well.

«Relax, and just be yourself. It might help you to know that she likes Bon Jovi's music.»

My eyes lit up! So did my grandmother, so I actually knew quite a few of his songs by proxy.

Music, my grandmother said, could bridge many divides. Whatever awkwardness that existed vanished as we initially talked about Bon Jovi. This led to other genres of music, what we liked and didn't like, and we talked for almost two hours about our favourite music. The picnic basket was raided during this time and even when I started the process of mining the ore and harvesting the lumber, we never stopped talking. By the time we returned to Rovia I barely remembered their having been an awkward moment at all. When we reached the teleport plaza she told me she had to go because she may have left her guild mates hanging earlier.

Somehow that made me happy.

Shiro, who was accompanied by a man whose face was tattooed and looked like a punk rocker, met Sheila at the teleport plaza about ten minutes after we arrived and Sheila fired off an instant message. She waved farewell to me as she walked away with the punkish man, which left me alone with Shiro.

"Thanks," I said, craning my neck to look the man in the eyes.

"I take it the picnic went well then?"

A panicked look streaked across my face! Did Elise-

"Relax! Look, Elise didn't blab about you to everyone who would listen, if that's what you're worried about. What she did do was come to me and say that she needed help to sort out some things for her sister, because she didn't have the materials. That it was important. I spent almost two hours this morning farming the materials that went into that picnic."

My panic - why was I even panicked!? - vanished.

It was then that he ruffled my hair and, for the first time in my life, I didn't mind that someone did that. That was when I realized that I trusted Shiro. He knelt down in front of me, put his right hand on my shoulder, and tilted my head up to look at him with his left. It was an action I had seen my grandfather do on any number of occasions when he was attempting to drive an important point home to me during a conversation. The system apparently agreed with my mindset because no purple barriers appeared when his hand touched my shoulder, and no pop-up menu suggesting I whisk him away to prison appeared either.

In my mind it was what a father would do.

"If you ever need anything - anything - message me. I've got two kids of my own, and I appear to have adopted two more. I might as well make it three."

Usually I wasn't the kind of person who hugged others, or showed his emotions in that kind of way. I had made it quite clear that I was something of a social recluse in the real world, and to be honest I wasn't sure why Sheila - Akiye - was even giving me the time of day. If today was anything to go on then it was clear that I was awkward and, when I got nervous, I tended to stutter and stammer. So much for confident Raixas. Despite my usual stance though I threw my arms around Shiro and hugged him tightly as if he were my grandfather.

"I'll see you later, kiddo."

"Shiro, wait!" He stopped and turned to look at me. "A-are you guys doing a-anything for New Years?"

"If Ryne has her way? Then yeah, but you're welcome to join us. I'll message you the details."

"Thanks!"

My mind was made up. There were a few guilds already in Aincrad but I had only had significant dealings with the Dragon Knights Brigade, the Aincrad Liberation Squad, and Brightscale. That said, my interactions with the ALS amounted to them scouting me for recruitment, which I turned down, whereas my interactions with the DKB involved me joining one of their 5-man parties in a popular hunting area with high respawn rates on the 2nd Floor. Both had been one-offs. There were definite limits to what a solo player could achieve. It was actually a miracle I hadn't died already.

Brightscale seemed the logical conclusion. I'd have to speak to Kishi soon.


	4. Inbetweeners IV

December 18th 2022, 07:24.

I stepped out of my tent with my striking white hair in its usual bed-hair configuration and stretched out my short limbs.

"Morning, Raixas."

"Mornin',"

"G'morning,"

"Hmph,"

All these greetings came from the resident Dark Elf non-player characters inhabiting the camp on the southern end of the forest that dominated the 3rd Floor. I returned their greetings with a very hearty "good morning!" and, for the first time since coming to this floor, I shielded my eyes against the rays of the morning sun. It was hard to tell under the boughs of the large trees that dominated the vast majority of the 3rd Floor of Aincrad that the sun was actually shining. There was a pleasant warmth, which even the mist could not impact, and the trees rustled lightly in the wind. Sword Art Online did a good job of imitating the seasons and thus far all the floors open to the entrapped players mimicked the real world quite closely. As it was December, and thus the heart of winter, most of the days had shorter spells of daylight and the nights tended to be longer and a lot colder.

Most of the days I spent in Aincrad thus far had been like that. I'd get up early in the morning, grab a warm cloak, do a few quests, farm monsters, or level my gathering Skills, and before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set. I'd make my way back to wherever my current base was and spend it warming myself at a fire if at all possible. This morning was a welcome change. I didn't even need my cloak!

"Excuse me," I asked the nearest Dark Elf, "but have you seen Imra?"

Her dark-coloured ears perked up at the question. Her delicate fingers momentarily brushed against her chin, she pursed her lips as if in thought, before finally raising her index finger as if to signal "I remember now!".

"I think it was Imra who I saw go into the dining tent not too long ago. If you hurry, you'll probably catch up to her."

"Right, thank you, miss!"

I bowed politely and took off at a trot. Imra was an NPC like so many game characters but unlike those who had greeted me or the kind lady who had given me directions, Imra seemed altogether more human. Like she had more soul. Programming all the variables for a cast of NPC's as diverse as those in Aincrad had likely been an absolute coding nightmare, and it was probably for this reason that most of their dialogue was simple. It usually revolved around simple greetings, quest information, or very specific words. Imra was different. Her interactions with me had been genuine; it was as if I had met her in the real world, not virtual reality. In fact, I was halfway convinced that she wasn't an NPC at all, but rather a player with a wonky cursor who'd gone a little off the deep end with her imitation of Elven kind. Not unlike those weirdos who went about calling themselves «Fuumanigun».

The lady elf's directions were spot on.

Imra was seated at a small table with a dish of leafy green vegetables and what I assumed was stuffed fruit. She wasn't dressed for battle, I noted, and wore what appeared to be a silk bodysuit, coloured lilac, which was decorated with embroidery depicting vines. I could see the embroidery climbing up the leg of her suit. Her long white hair was unbound, the bangs and fringe neatly styled in the front, with the back descending roughly halfway down her slender back. Those lightly coloured pink eyes identified me immediately, and she beckoned me over with a casual wave of her delicate fingers.

She swallowed a piece of fruit before dabbing her thin lips with a handkerchief.

"Good morning, young Raixas." She greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

"Morning, Imra! I did, thank you."

I took the seat beside her and eagerly accepted half of the large stuffed fruit she had been eating. Unless I was mistaken, the fruit was very similar to an aubergine. The inside was stuffed with basic bread crumbs that had been lightly toasted, green coloured herbs, and shavings of onion. Of course, I had never eaten anything like it in all my life, me being a teenager and all that who usually looked at fruit and vegetables with revulsion as a general rule. But if I ever got out of this game and back to my grandparents house in the real world, then I was going to eat one of them to compare and contrast. Not the vegetables though. I had to draw the line somewhere.

I'd met Imra completely by mistake the day the 3rd Floor was opened.

I hadn't been a member of the raid party that defeated the 2nd Floor Boss but I had journeyed through the labyrinth rather than use the teleport plaza. You can imagine my shock upon coming up to the 3rd Floor, especially having journeyed through the wide-open spaces of the 2nd Floor's savannah-like landscape. The entire Floor was filled with massive trees! Even the main town, Zumfut, was located in the forest. It was only shortly after descending into those trees however and getting lost amongst the mist that I figured out my map wasn't working in this area.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

As a solo player there wasn't anyone around to answer me, of course. Sometimes it was just nice to vent.

I didn't have the foggiest idea where I was or which way would lead me to civilization. I couldn't even retrace my steps! The mist hung tightly between the tree trunks, and I was fairly sure that I had been turned around a time or two trying to navigate my way out.

"I swear, if I hear a wolf howl, then I'm going to wet myself."

CLANG!

"Waaaah!"

You had to remember that I was only 13 years old. What 13-year old wouldn't leap out of their skin and squeal like a banshee in the middle of a spooky mist-wrapped forest? Especially when he heard Sword Skills clashing!

"Wait a minute…! There's people over there!"

I was lost anyway and if someone happened to be in trouble, perhaps they knew the way? That was my thinking at the time, at any rate.

My reliance was more on my ears to guide me than my eyes and I found my «Scimitar» in my hand, its familiar weight comfortable in my hand. I came upon a scene I should probably have expected: two people, blades locked together, their faces straining with effort as they pushed with all their might. One was what the system identified as a «Forest Elven Hallowed Knight». Cool! This game had elves! I seriously hoped there'd be Legolas or Tauriel kind of characters around somewhere. That'd be so awesome!

Oh, yeah. The battle.

He was male, had a cursor that flashed a deeper shade of red than anything I had encountered in this game to date, and he was furiously attacking the woman opposite him. The woman was tall, with long white coloured hair, and lightweight leather armour with silver and purple tones worn over the top of a lilac silk bodysuit. She wielded a long dagger with several notches on the back of the blade and it was these 'teeth' that she had used to block the larger sword wielded by her opponent.

"Well, this is not what I expected. Should I really be surprised that bullies wouldn't be restricted to the player-base?"

Blade set atop my shoulder, legs slightly bent. «Reaver» accelerated me forward and I cut deeply into the knight's flank! He retreated with a curse, saying something about this not being my fight, but I was pretty much ignoring him. The female elf I had helped used the opportunity well and threw a blade right at her attacker! It seemed she wasn't a player after all but was rather an NPC. As soon as her attack resolved her name appeared below my own, indicating that she had just joined my party. Her name was revealed to me as «Imra» and her level, which caused me to speak complete gibberish, was 16! I was only Level 12.

Still, I had a battle to fight.

The Hallowed Knight was exceptionally strong but his attacks tended to have long cool down timers and appeared to be designed in such a way that they were telegraphed well in advance. Whenever he busted out a Sword Skill I countered it with the defensive Sword Skill known as «Shunt». This involved a horizontal push with my off-hand bracing the blade itself. When used correctly it caused the opposing Sword Skill to fail in the same manner as, say, a «Spear» Sword Skill would fail if the user struck an unexpected obstacle during the Sword Skill's animation. Those I couldn't block I was able to avoid thanks to my «Sprint» proficiency. Then there was also my companion. Her weapon appeared to be designed for parrying. Carried in the reverse grip it became a fearsome device capable of effortless blocking. Imra would follow up these successful blocks with dagger-type Sword Skills or thrown weapons. Watching her fight made me jealous; if I were to attempt to mimic what she was doing I'd be slapped with an «Irregular Equipment State» and be unable to launch Sword Skills at all because I'd be classified as dual-wielding.

"Be careful!"

I could only describe it as the system assist kicking in on the Knight's behalf. He managed to parry Imra's strike, step lithely to the side, and this left him in the perfect place to dispatch her. His long sword began glowing yellow but his strike ate nothing but the empty air. I activated my «Sprint» Skill mid-run and the added momentum lent strength to my charge. I braced my shoulder for a charge and struck the Knight's sword-arm, causing him to drop his blade, and in that brief moment Imra knocked a sizeable chunk off his HP gauge.

"We can do this!" I called as I regained my footing.

"Indeed!"

It took almost twenty minutes of constant dancing and countering but I finally managed to land the killing blow by using «Fell Crescent» in a less than traditional manner. I was a short person so if I wanted to hit the elf on the head I would need to jump. This I managed to do in the small-time between the system recognizing the stance for the Sword Skill and actually cycling me through it. Of course, if I deviated too much from the recognized stance, the entire attack would fail, and I'd likely die. But this was the kind of high-risk strategy that solo players tended to learn. Thankfully it worked and I spun in a wide circle, my «Scimitar» a yellow blur as it cut into the Knight's head! By the time I landed he was dispersing into polygonal oblivion and I pumped my fist in the air in triumph.

"You have my thanks human warrior."

"I don't like bullies." I answered, with a big fool grin. "And it's not 'human warrior'. I'm Raixas."

She looked momentarily taken aback but she soon smiled.

"You humans have such strange sounding names. Ah, but forgive me my poor manners. I am called Imra, and I am a member of the Pagoda Knights Brigade. Allow me to escort you to our camp."

The way she talked reminded me of my grandma though I had the good sense not to voice that particular opinion. Women could be scary.

Unbeknownst to me was the "proper" chain of events for this particular quest, as I was not a beta tester. Hell, when I stumbled upon it I didn't even know there was an «Elf War» to begin with, never mind an entire floor with Elves. Elves! I could squeal. It was like waking up in Middle Earth! You see, Imra, or rather the original Dark Elf character Kizmel, was supposed to die. By saving her and keeping her alive, however, I had unwittingly stumbled upon a new path. As I said though I was under the impression that the path I was on was the original. Of course, it would be a good while before I knew those particulars. Let's just say I managed to save Imra and was under the impression that wasn't rare.

And my gamble paid off! Imra knew where I was and more importantly where I needed to go to get out of this mess of trees.

So there you have it. That was how I came to be partying with this white-haired lady who tended to mother me a little.

"You have not finished your vegetables." She pointed out.

See what I mean?

"... Don't like 'em."

"It is important for your health." She went on, completely undeterred. "The sooner you eat them, the sooner we can leave."

I ate them. Under protest, however. And only because she told me we wouldn't be going to the cave where our quest «Vanquishing the Spiders» was located if I didn't. As I ate them, and skulked furiously, I was vaguely aware of her playing with my hair. Curiosity got the better of me and I manifested the mirror that had languished in my inventory since the day my original black-haired avatar was replaced with my real-life appearance. God, I missed that hair! What awaited me was a neat arrangement of my usually messy bangs and for once I didn't look like I'd been dragged physically through the nearest hedgerow.

"Shall we leave?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Have you enough remedies? It would not do to be bitten by a spider and the wound to fester."

I bought more potions and antidote potions, if only to appease her.

My entire day was spent in this lady elves company. I had some experience with playing in a party but this was easily the longest time I had spent in the company of another person ever since a few idiot players had ridiculed me for slotting «Lumber» in my third Skill Slot. I wonder what those players would say now? It wasn't just «Lumber» I had slotted now but «Fishing» as well. It seemed my love of the outdoors had indeed influenced the Skills I had selected. Imra was also very accommodating. She didn't seem to mind when we found an area with a high spawn rate and hung around for nearly an hour. I vaguely remember her saying that training was good for growth and I couldn't help but think she had just taken a jab at me about my height, or lack thereof. There was also the fact she had accompanied me on forays into the forest without me actually resolving any Dark Elf quests. She just watched as I harvested materials from trees or fished the nearby streams. In many ways she was a highly powered escort. Remember, I had come to the 3rd Floor the day the front-runners unlocked it, albeit a little behind their progress, which had been December 14th. It was now December 18th. I was amazed by Imra's patience.

"The cave should be nearby." Imra insisted. "How is your leg?"

"Better."

We had encountered an event. It seemed the system was aware of the choice I had made when I sided with the Dark Elves and it appeared that this information had been disseminated to the Forest Elf side. Before, the elves would likely have left me alone, so long as I left them alone. Now the Forest Elves were hostile towards me and attacked on-sight. One, identified by the system as a «Forest Elf Scout», had managed to sneak up on us and attack. Imra, sensing the danger at the last moment, had pulled me out of the way enough that the scouts three thrown knives mostly missed me. I say mostly because one actually found its mark and buried itself deep in my right leg. What really scared me though were the two debuffs this inflicted. One showed a general bleeding icon, indicating I was under the effects of a damage-over-time attack, and the second showed a lacerated leg, indicating that my movement would be limited until I healed myself.

He never got the chance to attack me again.

Imra fell on the scout with animalistic fury! She moved like a graceful dancer, not a single movement wasted, and in moments she emerged victorious. With a delicate touch she pulled the throwing blade from my thigh, dispelling the DoT, and inquired after my wounded leg with genuine worry in her pink-hued eyes. The reason for his surpassing stealth was soon made clear to me. His moss green cloak had been embroidered with delicate displays of falling leaves and was identified by the system as a «Cloak of Hiding». Rather than keep it for herself Imra presented it to me. It was quite a gift. It aided the wearer's ability to blend into their surroundings and acted more-or-less like the actual «Hiding» Skill.

I equipped it immediately.

The cave was a two-floor dungeon though it appeared that other players had already been here because there wasn't a single treasure chest that hadn't been opened. It seemed the front-runners had already picked this place clean.

"Be careful." Imra cautioned. "The spider queen makes her nest in this cave."

"She does!"

It wasn't me who spoke but rather a woman. She stepped out of the shadows clinging to one of the farthest pathways and, judging by the green colour of her cursor, she was a player like me. It wasn't until she stepped completely from the shadows and stood before us that I recognized who she was.

"Ryne!" I greeted. "It's good to see you."

Ryne was a beautiful woman with light blue eyes, jaw-length blonde hair, and an hourglass figure. More importantly than that however she was a nice person. She had never once looked down on me or treat me differently because of my age. In fact, she had outright told me she expected the same of me as she would an adult. She wore a pink-coloured neckerchief that hadn't been there the last time I saw her and appeared to have upgraded her weapon as well, because a piece of circular metal hung from her thin leather belt. I could be mistaken, of course, but it certainly looked like a «Chakram».

"I missed you in Zumfut." She said, smiling.

"Got lost." My tone was more than a little embarrassed.

I had met Ryne on the 24th of November. It turned out she needed help to gather wooden materials, and I was pretty much the only player who had admitted to having gathering Skills, so she hired me. We ended up encountering a Thanksgiving event in the forests outside the Town of Beginnings and acquired a luck buff that persisted for three hours. During that time our plans changed; instead of helping her gather materials I helped her kill monsters in the hopes of acquiring rare weapons and armour drops. The entire endeavour had netted us quite a few pieces of high-quality equipment - my current «Scimitar amongst them - and those we didn't keep for ourselves we sold to the players advancing the front-line.

"Ryne, this is Imra. I'm helping her with elf stuff."

"Oh? I thought I heard you say you were here about the queen spider?"

"You misheard, I'm afraid." Imra answered. "Why do you seek the queen?"

Ryne looked momentarily surprised. I knew she was a beta tester - a fact she had sworn me to secrecy over - so she would have far more experience with the attitudes of NPC's than I was. But it seemed Imra's advanced linguistics and personality had come across clearly in her questioning of Ryne.

"I know a potion maker." Ryne revealed. "Apparently, the webs from the spiders here can be used to make healing potions."

"Hey, Imra? Would it be okay with you if we help Ryne out? She's a friend."

"Certainly, young Raixas."

Ryne was a ranged damage-dealer. Our party configuration didn't change too much because of her presence, but we certainly packed a lot more power. I saw from her name that she was now Level 13 and her Accuracy was impeccable which, of course, led to a high frequency of critical hits against the spiders weak points with her «Chakram». Imra, as always, led the line. Her level was higher than ours but so were her stats. In the event that she turned on us we wouldn't stand a chance. Not even the spider queen «Nephila Regina» posed much of a threat. Ryne consistently struck her weak point, Imra parried almost every attack the queen launched, and I was pretty much relegated to support. In only minutes the queen was dead.

"You'll want to take this." Ryne said.

"What's this «Queen Spider's Poison Fang» supposed to do?"

"It'll save you a journey. Tester's honour!"

She even crossed her heart.

"I'll have to get going though." She insisted. "Places to be, money to make. You know the score! Look, before I go… it's nice to see you so relaxed. You seem more confident than you were the last time we partied together."

"Someone suggested that I needed to be more assertive, remember?"

She only smiled.

Ryne left our party after that and Imra and I returned to the Dark Elf camp. The item given to me by Ryne turned out to be the item necessary to complete the quest's second leg, which I was silently thankful for. I had no desire to return to that cave today. Besides, the sun was beginning to set. It wouldn't be long until night fell. That said, I had at least an hour before that, and Imra and I managed to complete the next quest in the chain - «The Flower Offering» - before darkness truly fell.

Completely by accident, I ended up falling asleep in Imra's tent.


	5. Inbetweeners V

It was December 30th 2022 and it had just gone past 12:05 in the afternoon.

I didn't have much of anything planned for today other than gathering relics to hopefully fill out my accessory slots a little and make a little extra money for myself. I was quite naked in that department save for my Agility earring and «Sigil of Lyusula» ring, so getting something for those slots was definitely a priority. While it was true that I still had the «Elf War» quests to do on this Floor, I honestly didn't see the point in rushing through them unprepared. I'm a non-beta tester solo-player: skimping on my gear or being lax in my preparations could get me killed just as quickly as suffering a crippling debuff in the middle of battle could.

Given the weather, however, I didn't have much enthusiasm for relic hunting or money-making.

Just like yesterday, it was raining. This was no light drizzle however; this was, perhaps, the single largest downpour I had seen since this death game began! I was absolutely soaked. Thankfully, the 5th Floor offered plenty of places where one could duck their head into to avoid the worst of the weather, and given how quickly one dried in Aincrad, this was a nice feature. At least in my eyes. There would always be one's complaining that it wasn't realistic. According to Argo, who was quickly becoming the name most often attached to my in-game correspondence, approximately 70% of the 5th Floor was covered in crumbling ruins and dusty pathways that presented something of a navigational nightmare. The other 30% comprised standard terrain but even then the landscape still proved to be dusty and somewhat difficult to traverse.

I had only been on the 5th Floor since the 29th - the day after it was unlocked - and I have to admit something: I missed the pleasant sights and scents of Rovia.

"Great idea, Raixas," I said quietly. "Come up to the 5th Floor, do some relic hunting. It'll be a good way to spend your time."

I could leap head first into «Caldera Lake» and not get any wetter than I am right now.

I was about to shrug my shoulders and pull the collar of my «Robes of the Outlaw» up around my neck when my display blinked, notifying me of an incoming message. As expected it was from Sheila:

«Good morning, Fujimaru! Are you busy today?»

Sheila had taken to calling me by my real name whenever we were messaging one another in private, so I figured it was only natural to return the sentiment myself. She still called me Raixas when we met face-to-face however. From these messages I had also learned Elise's real name: Momoko.

«Naw, not busy, Akiye. I was planning to do some relic hunting in the Karluin catacombs, but I can push that back. What's up?»

«Well, Kishi and co. are running off to a dungeon in the Dead Woods, and Momoko and me were hoping to explore the mines at the bottom of Mananarena.»

I didn't know about a dungeon in the «Dead Woods». I'd have to ask about that later. Getting back to the matter at hand, though, I sensed the unasked question.

«I'm free to play at escort. Good mining nodes there. Where are you?»

«Mananarena. We were just about to close up shop.»

«Keep it open for another hour. I'm in Karluin, so I'll take the tunnel. See you two soon!»

I got two replies: one from each twin. Each message contained half a smiling face and when opened and viewed together, I got the entire big yellow emoji face smiling up at me! I had to laugh at that.

Before I went anywhere however I had something to do and that was to restock my potions. The NPC I spoke to was a blonde-haired young woman standing behind a market-stall. She wore plain drab wool clothing and stout leather boots and waved to me cheerfully as I approached.

"Himi," I greeted, "I'll have four of your specials, please."

"Certainly, Raixas!"

Access to Himi's stall was gated behind a small quest chain that required you to resolve her troubles with a local thug. It wasn't anything dangerous or involved; the NPC giving her trouble could be talked down or disposed of. I went with the talking down option. According to the in-game lore Himi was a herbalist and apothecary seeking new plants and fungi to create new medicines. Apparently, she succeeded. Her healing potions were sweeter than the terrible-tasting potions bought from the 1st Floor, for example, and lasted longer whilst sporting a slightly reduced cooldown. Ideal for Tanks.

Argo had found the information very useful. You see, Himi hadn't been in the beta.

"Bye, Himi!"

"Bye, Raixas!"

I couldn't begin to tell you when I started treating simple NPC's like actual people. Maybe Imra had influenced my thinking?

But I had places to be, rain or no rain.

The trek to Mananarena usually took upwards of 12-hours through ruined buildings and rubble-strewn pathways. This wasn't because of the distance involved; no, it had more to do with the topography of the Floor. Progress was slowed because the obvious path was blocked off, usually by a collapsed building or fallen pillar. This required you to scramble up the side of an adjacent building and progress along the rooftops, at least until the path ahead was rendered inaccessible by a collapsed ceiling and you had to once more take to the ground to progress. It presented a vertical nightmare for large parties. Add the spawning monsters and you could easily become bogged down for a long time. Now consider the fact that I was a solo-player. I could quite easily be cornered by a hidden monster or fall into the «Tumble» status through a misjudged height drop, and then I'd be making the rounds through some no-doubt ugly monster's innards.

In the event that happened, I at least hoped I gave said monster a terrible dose of the runs.

Thankfully, there was a solution that didn't involve the ruins. Or me being eaten.

Karluin was the main town of the 5th Floor. It was very much in the majority when the 5th Floor was concerned because the town itself was built into a large swath of ruins that covered the vast majority of the southern end of the Floor, so it neatly fell into that 70% ruin figure Argo had cited. The villager NPC's made their homes in various tents or within the ruins themselves. Others still had massive cloth canvas' draped over large open areas to serve almost like a bazaar where merchants sold their wares and craftsmen plied their trades. Even today, in this torrential downpour, the merchants weren't discouraged at all. Beneath the town itself was a large catacomb that extended beyond the towns borders. The first floor of this dungeon was within the safe-zone and thus the anti-criminal code reigned, but anything below that first floor was subject to the usual dungeon rules. The bottommost floor is what interested me though: it featured a tunnel. This was the tunnel I had referred to in my message to Sheila. Whilst it featured its own share of monsters these could be bypassed quite easily and the wonderful thing about it was thus: it was normal terrain! You could breeze through in under an hour with favourable conditions.

This is exactly what I did too.

I emerged on the far side of the ruins bordering Karluin and soon thereafter was stepping foot into Mananarena. All-in-all my travel time had amounted to little over an hour.

I met the twins in Mananarena's marketplace. They hadn't quite got around to closing up their respective shops yet but judging by the crowd that was departing the marketplace, they would be wrapping up just about now.

Mananarena wasn't as large as Karluin. It was built into a massive depression in the ground which, according to game lore, had been the site of an ancient mine. It wasn't specified outright but I suspected that the Dwarves had likely excavated this entire region at one point or another. I wasn't suggesting I was some kind of Dwarf authority but I had seen numerous games where Dwarves had been buried in large sarcophagi and I have seen my share of these spread around the catacombs. Again, though, I was merely speculating. Like Karluin the buildings in Mananarena were in various states of ruin and the main lodgings consisted of pitched tents. Again, the marketplace was a bazaar, with a large canvas serving as the ceiling.

I hadn't walked beneath that canvas two seconds before a familiar voice addressed me.

"You're… Raixas, right?"

I turned my head to regard a tall man with short-cut and neatly styled brown hair. He wore a heavy suit of «Iron Mail» over a dark-blue shirt. He was armed with a longsword and shield whose names I did not know. The man himself, however, I did know: his name was Shivata, and he was a member of the DKB. In fact, he had been the leader of that DKB levelling party I had tagged along with, once upon a time.

I greeted him with a wave.

"Shivata, right? It's good to see you."

Sword Art Online tended to exaggerate one's emotional reactions. My greeting would have appeared very happy from Shivata's perspective, for example. I saw none of this from Shivata. The man was incredibly good at controlling his emotions, I recalled, even when he was under pressure.

"I thought you'd be on the front-line," I noted.

"Just got back."

He motioned towards the twins with a flick of his head. They were storing their wares into the internal storage of their respective «Vendor Carpets».

"I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have a meeting to attend." Shivata said, not unkindly. "I assume you're here to meet up with the twins?"

"I am. We're going gathering in the mines."

He gave me a cursory inspection up-and-down. It was hard to tell - I thought he was satisfied - but he eventually nodded his head. I didn't know this at the time but Kishi had asked Shivata to watch out for the girls if he ever saw them in and around town without him. This explained the inspection: Shivata had been sizing me up.

"Be careful."

"Will do, thanks!"

If I hadn't already made up my mind regarding my preferred guild, I would have likely joined the DKB. Shivata was a reasonable man and I had briefly talked with the two-handed sword user Hafner and come to the same conclusion regarding him. Lind, meanwhile, was spoken of highly by the twins. They still gave the DKB reduced rates on their equipment repairs, for example. That said, though, Sheila had stopped charging me altogether. The ALS, meanwhile, had kind of rubbed me the wrong way. The only interactions I could recall having with them had to do with my recruitment, which I had declined. Politely, of course. Not that saying that to an ALS member would change anything. Whether they thought I snubbed them is beyond me but suddenly I was a pariah in their eyes and to be quite honest I didn't have the time nor patience for that kind of drama.

Besides, I had resolved to speak to Kishi about joining «Brightscale». Hopefully. Eventually.

"Afternoon, Raixas!" Elise intoned.

"Hey, you're early!" Sheila followed up.

"Yup, and I've got gifts. Consider them a late Christmas present."

I had made a point of returning to the 3rd Floor after my picnic with Sheila. You see, I could only properly look after one of them with the current equipment I had, which worried me. My goal was simple: farm «Forest Elf scouts» in the hopes of grabbing myself a second «Cloak of Hiding», though the drop-rate appeared to be miniscule. Despite the odds I had managed to acquire two more by the end of the day, almost dying in the process - though I wouldn't tell them that - meaning I could keep one for myself. These handy cloaks were moss-green in colouration and decorated with delicate falling leaves. Statistically, they did nothing for one's protection; rather, they helped blend the wearer into the background in a manner similar to the «Hiding» Skill, though their durability decreased with each use. Considering Elise had the «Sewing» Skill she'd be able to restore the lost durability quite easily.

I materialized the two cloaks and handed one each to the twins.

"Sheila, you're already familiar with this."

"Oh! The hiding cloak!"

"Thanks, Raixas!" Elise excitedly said.

This made for quite a humorous physical load-out. You see, the twins wore what I could best describe as leopard-print trousers and jackets, long-sleeved beige shirts, and stout black leather boots. Trudging through ruins wasn't a nice experience in sandals. The delicate leaves of their moss-green cloaks which were very clearly Elven in design didn't exactly mesh with their animal-skin clothing.

I laughed at that.

"This coming from the pirate?" Sheila jabbed.

"I blame your sister. She did make it, after all."

"Hey, leave me out of your squabbles!" Elise snapped, puffing out her cheeks.

"Shall we go?" Sheila asked.

"You want to ditch those in the inn first?"

I was, of course, talking about their «Vendor Carpets». Unlike most items or equipment these could not be carried within your inventory and actually had to be physically carried around. They were quite bulky too.

"Please!" Elise cut-in.

"Here, I'll take those."

My build was scrawny as you already knew. In fact, the twins were slightly taller and heavier than I was, but I was intelligent enough not to voice that particular observation. My Strength stat, however, was likely far higher on account of my fighting focus. This allowed me to carry one mat beneath each arm.

Once dropped off safely in their room - I managed not to flip out on seeing their room - we walked the short distance to the mine.

The mine was right at the bottom of Mananarena and was considered a dungeon. It wasn't instanced however, instead being public. So you can imagine my surprise when we got down there and found that the entire place was untouched! Resources, especially treasure chests, were finite in Sword Art Online: once a public location was looted the treasure did not respawn. It presented a worrying dilemma. If other players did eventually catch up and join the front-line would the DKB and ALS be happy sharing? Or would this lead to another potential problem with players bickering over resources?

Potential front-line politics aside there was another theme I was beginning to see: if a dungeon or location wasn't in some way connected to the clearing of the labyrinth or the defeat of the Floor Boss then the front-runners tended to leave them alone. These "sub-dungeons" were thus being cleared by those catching up, like me or the members of «Brightscale».

Hope Kishi didn't hold me clearing this place out against me.

"Wow, it's dark in here!" Elise exclaimed.

"Okay, I can handle that."

I'm a solo-player. I've got quite a few tricks up my sleeve; I need to, if I'm going to survive. From my inventory, I materialized a thin band of metal inset with a small red gemstone alongside a long piece of dry wood, and I rubbed the ring's stone against my palm. Magic may not be available to players in the form of spells but trinkets like this couldn't be called anything other than magic, at least in my opinion. Once I set the stone to the tip of the wood the light faded from the gem as the wood caught fire. This was the effect of my «Flintlight Ring». I stowed it once more in my inventory and held my torch aloft. It didn't serve a battlefield function, so I didn't usually wear it.

For some reason I had the irresistible urge to grin.

"That was cool!" Elise whispered.

"Shh!" Sheila signalled.

"Thank you, thank you! I'm here all week."

The mine was everything I expected it to be. There were a series of tracks leading deeper into the dungeon, the walls were composed of roughly hewn stone, and the air smelled like dry cement. At least I wasn't smelling anything gaseous, otherwise I'd be out of here quicker than a scalded cat! As was to be expected, there were also monsters. One in particular was vaguely Final Fantasy-like. It looked like a weird combination of a spider and a stone; it skittered about on eight legs like an arachnid and was seemingly eating stone. In a disgusting reveal I discovered its… shall we say leavings… were actual ores.

Yeah, it's excrement could be used to forge weapons and armour. Hell of a picture, ain't it? Why I suddenly saw Shiro wearing poo-coloured armour with monsters running scared of him on account of his smell was beyond me, but it wasn't a mental image I wanted to share with anyone.

Thankfully, the rock composing its body wasn't too hard to cut through, and my «Scimitar» +6 (4S2D) was up to the task of dispatching them. As I cleared the immediate area of monster activity and pocketed their questionable ore drops - not a word! - the twins searched the ground on hands and knees and I occasionally seen them pumping their fists in celebration. Once we were safe I switched out my curved-sword for a pickaxe and went about gathering ores in a more conventional manner.

We had a pretty decent haul between Karl coins, raw ores, monster drops, and trinkets for little over three hours of work. Our haul consisted of:

378 copper Karl coins worth 10 cor each.

32 golden Karl coins worth 500 cor each.

9 large golden Karl coins worth 1000 cor each.

With coins alone we had raked in 28,780 cor. I don't know about the twins but I've certainly had worse days. The twins argued vehemently that I take half as an escort fee and I accepted when I realized that they weren't going to take no for an answer. So I ended up with 14,390 cor.

There was an assortment of gems as well but I ceded these to the twins with minimal discussion. They could use them in their crafts whilst I could not, and they ceded this point when I raised it. In return, I got the pick of the various accessories our labours had won. Saying as how Elise possessed the «Appraisal» Skill we didn't have to bother tracking down an NPC to do it for us.

There were two accessories that really caught my eye.

"I'll take these two, if that's okay?"

"That's fair!" Sheila replied.

Elise offered no argument.

The first was, I had to admit, a creepy-looking amulet called «Bone Token» seemingly carved from a finger bone suspended from a simple leather cord, which was designed to be worn about the neck. It boosted Strength by +2 whilst increasing the hate the wearer would generate with basic actions. As I was often a solo-player this kind of attribute had absolutely no effect on me, as I was always the subject of a monster's attacks regardless of hate modifiers. Given I had taken to partying with the twins however it would help me keep monsters away from them. The second accessory was an earring called «Closed Whispers» which consisted of a small blue stud. I already had my «Jade Key» Agility earring on my right ear, so I equipped this to my left. It provided a simple boost to my hearing range which could possibly give me greater warning regarding threats.

With our loot distributed and the girls having to get back to their guild-mates, we decided this was the best time to dissolve our party.

That was when Sheila tugged on my sleeve however.

"You're still coming by for New Year's, aren't you?"

"Yeah, if the invite still holds."

"It does!" Elise cut in. "I've been stockpiling cooking materials all week."

"Yeah, so you better show up!"

I grinned a very un-Fujimaru-like grin that was apparently fitting for Raixas.

"It's a date!"

We parted in the marketplace and I once again took the tunnel back to Karluin. But I wasn't going to stay in this dusty pit tonight. No way! I was going to go back to Rovia and dive into the canal. My heart was thumping in my chest as I ran and it was only when I was halfway through the tunnel that I realized what I had said to Sheila. The confidence of Raixas seeped away and the nervous, bumbling, socially awkward Fujimaru returned in full force.

"Kishi's going to kill me!"


End file.
